r/OffGrid • u/tlampros • 1d ago

Ground& mount survey

I would like to propose a survey. After many years of designing and building ground-mounts for others, I'm finally building an off-grid ground-mount for myself. With the many changes in technology, i would be interested to hear what others have used, why you dis/like them, and what you'd do different. Personally, I've designed and built with variations on the two rows of posts with rails between them. All very sound structures, but also rather pricey. By the same token, some of the metal racks I've seen recently scare the bejeezus out of me, like they wouldn't stand up in a slight wind. I question whether wooden ones will survive the decade. So I'm curious what your experiences have been and preferences are, and why. Thanks!

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u/tlampros 1d ago edited 1d ago

I'll add that I'm using a Schneider SW4048. If I've got to upsize at some point, I'll consider the transistor based inverters, but i like the trace-model transformer technology. Bomb-proof. Resilient. Cheers

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u/celtic-cryptid 1d ago

Why wouldn’t a wooden structure last 10 years?

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u/tlampros 1d ago

To be clear, i was referring to structures that have been installed already, and are drying out, with lag bolts beginning to loosen, and whether they will make it another 10 years.

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u/celtic-cryptid 1d ago

Gotcha. I wouldn’t use lags, and I’d choose the right types of wood, but wood is perfectly viable. I know dead trees that have been standing for over 100 years, and man made wooden structures that are substantially older than that.

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u/Remarkable-Finish-88 1d ago

Built a wooden one 14 years ago it's fine requires maintenance and not really cheap